This thread is about the direction that endurance racing should take.

I am a long time subscriber to the simple rules idea and would like to see only 5 rules.

1. Fuel tank must be no larger than 75 litres.
2. Cars must have a driver saftey cell that is tested approved by the FIA.
3. The amount of fuel available for each car is limited.
4. Drivers may not drive for more than three consecutive hours.
5. Cars must have adequate lighting for driving conditions.

This would mean that anything goes in the aerodynamic and engine department and might make for some interesting racing cars in the future.

It would also develop fuel economy as reducing the amount of fuel available would necessitate it.

Pit regulations are pretty good as they are, so they can be left alone.

What rules would you like to see?

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Somehow stop them pulling cars with an hour or two to go when the weather gets bad and then sending them back out for a "parade lap" at the end...

It spoils the spectacle of the "run to the finish" for the spectators... with those Peugeots they even gave them a roof, but they decided it was more important to polish the car and make it look nice than to entertain those who were standing soaked around the Le Mans circuit.

That is wrong! I don't know how you manage to put a regulation in place that still allows teams to fix problems and go back out but some sort of regulation really needs to be there to stop this cynical exploitation of the rules...

"We've done enough to win" is not good enough... as I've said elsewhere, bravo to Audi for staying out through thick and thin and taking that win. Thumbs down to Peugeot and the Binnies.

Sean

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Supporting McLaren and Force India in F1 and Ralf Schumacher in DTM

Why would the FIA test a safety cell for a series that they have no control over (thankfully)?

1. Relax the restriction on the airbox's on the petrol engined cars to allow them to compete with the diesel powered cars.

2. Allow the development of alterative fuel powered cars

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If you've never been at Le Mans, than you've never experienced a race! - Tom Kristensen

I wouldn't restrict the amount of fuel used as they tried that previously and we ended up with Mercedes dominance with no-one else anywhere near.
Certainly restrict the fuel tank size and restrict the rate at which fuel flows from the pit supply. That would leave the teams to sort out their own speed/economy balance. It would certainly make the championship more ineresting with the possibiliy of different winners in shorter distance races as the time spent refuelling in longer races increases.
You could try and balance up the difference in classes and petrol/diesel by letting them use different fuel tank sizes?
Change the rules from from maximum pit personel alowed to "work on" (touch) the car to maximum personel allowed "in the pitlane" when the car is stopped.
Ensure the passenger space is exactly equal to that provided for the driver and make them carry a spare wheel of the same size as the large rear wheels used on the cars.

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Speed is life

i like a lot of this, the exception bing that maximum amount of fuel.

the spare wheel idea is a brilliant one imo but it would have to be a space saver type wheel (thats said 1500n/m of torque through a bicycle tire might no work )

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motorstv

ummm not sure

I think you would have to restrict aero rules slightly as otherwise teams would begin developing open wheeled, F1 style cars as they are more aerodynamic and it would end up with a 24 hour F1 race(albeit with greater fuel capacities and reliability).

I completely agree with the idea of altering the size of the fuel tanks for each class in order to rebalance the race. It should be done in a way that would make it possible for a car not in LMP1 to actually win a race out right

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http://batracer.com/-1FrontPage.htm?2DU

interesting but the problem with making it possible to win overall from lmp2 means the manufactuers can spend less money (p2 is cheaper) and still win overall (porsche alms for example)

as for open wheeled cars that will never happen it's strictly prohibitied in the current rules and i feel it'll always stay that way.............

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motorstv

ummm not sure

I was trying to say that they should carry FULL SIZE rear wheel spare. Don't restrict the overall size of the tyre for racing, but make them carry whatever they are using as a spare so the engineers have to think about the optimum size of wheel for performance vs where the hell are they going to put an extra 1. You could also make them use whatever size they decide on for rears on the front as well, thus ensuring they don't get carried away with tyre sizes?
I just think that endurance racing sprang up from sportscar racing and I am thinking along the lines of not making it impossible to convert a race car for road use (Ford GT40).
Is all this getting too complicated? Cadpig said keep it simple.

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Speed is life

My bad, but in fairness it was written when sleep had been on the thin side.

But it has to be said that the FIA have done a good job on the safety side and it is a good benchmark.

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i did think you meant a full size but the comedy of an audi r10 badly crash (*see rockenfellar) with both rear tyres damaged trying to do a full lap on just 1 space saver tyre was funny, (swing ans a miss on my part)

that said if you want to be really cleaver you make the rules say full sized tyre space, it must container a wheel and tyre but not specify how many wheels and tyre you could have. So a team could have 2 wheels in there but they are only have size..........

i like the idea any which way is was to end up being

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motorstv

ummm not sure

: I thought so.................it was too complicated

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Speed is life

Sorry Glenn but thats not right i'm afraid. All of the roll cages must must be FIA certified aswell as all of the fuel cells. Whilst the FIA don't control the race they do ensure safety standards are met in certain areas.

Following Cadpig's idea that we try to keep it simple, and trying to avoid all the equivalency arguments between petrol versus diesel versus goodness-knows-what-to-come, I think I'd probably go in the opposite direction . . .

All cars must have at least three wheels.
All cars must deliver motive power through a wheel or wheels (no rockets!)
All cars must incorporate an approved safety cell
All cars must have accommodation for a driver and a passenger
All cars must have forward and rear facing tv cameras
Mnimum/maximum weight, size, safety test minima etcetera

And that's about it.
Someone will produce a twelve litre deisel, six wheeled beastie, and someone else will probably produce a hyper-fast electric reliant robin!

Could be fun.

:iagree:

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motorstv

ummm not sure

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